A Scene from Long Beach Cafe in DaNang (Vietnam)

A few blocks from the famed China Beach, at an underdeveloped area of DaNang in Central Vietnam, I found Long Beach Cafe, one of the few decent restaurants in the vicinity. With very few people (locals and tourists) around, you have the surroundings mostly to yourself - and you'd find yourself monopolizing empty streets.

I stayed at Mango Hotel which is just 7 kilometers from Marble Mountain. Despite the relative nearness, DIY-transport is almost difficult to arrange. You have to book a taxi or approach a motorcycle biker if you want to get away to roam DaNang.

Long Beach Cafe looked modern, it even had a miniature waterfall, a garden, a raised platform, airconditioned main bar and very accommodating staff. I ordered "Com Ga" - fried chicken with rice - worth 80,000 dong (PhP124.50/$3). I loved being one of the small number of tourists in that area. There was always the sensation of eavesdropping on the locals who eagerly wait for throngs of tourists that would probably come in the next 3 or 4 years.

The photo above: a wall beside a stair leading to the main restaurant. There were "boxes" with colorful pots on display. The luminescent color is accentuated by the gray tiles. "Look at me," said the plants. I gazed for a second, capturing the moment for posterity, then walked away.

This is the Eye in the Sky!